Holiday Post 2007, Part Deux

Previously, I gave you some odds and ends mostly related to shopping and gifts for the holidays. Today, we are looking at how to be less materialistic, some trivia, and a bit of etiquette. So, here we go again:

For some folks, the holiday is (as it should be) more than just exchanging gifts. Maybe they want to put less emphasis on the consumerism that seems to run rampant during this time of year. Here are some ideas for those folks:

• The Money and Values blog provides "14 Ways to Give More Meaning and Less Stuff."Not all of the options are frugal; some do involve money, but there is some food for thought here. This same blog also has a very extensive list for "Socially Conscious Online Shopping," which includes links and some details on sales. I know the shopping segment is already done, but I added this hoping those of you out there who try to be socially conscious might find it useful.
  
• From the Apophenia blog, here are ways of "giving back." These are ideas for causes and charities.
  
• And over here, you can find "12 Ways to de-commercialize Christmas." Some of the tips here I would take with a grain of salt, but there are some good ideas as well. I found this via the AdFreak blog, which offers as well ways to "Have Yourself a Non-materialistic Christmas." My favorite from that list: "Go play in the snow. I don’t care if you’re 50. Put some Icy-Hot on your back and start building snowmen." If we had snow in the part of Texas I am in, I would go build that snowman.
• If you are pretty handy, you may consider sending Christmas cards you made. Lifehacker has a roundup of DIY Christmas cards.
  

If you are looking for something to read this season:

• On December 7th, The Times has a small list of science fiction works, just in time forChristmas.
  

Now, you can also learn about this holiday season:

• If you sent Christmas cards, some of you may have put Christmas seals on them. Learn some of the history of the Christmas seals program from the American Lung Association.
  
• Go here to learn about Christmas in Mexico.
  
• The University of South Carolina Libraries is holding an exhibit on "Charles Dickens & Christmas."
• The San Diego Museum of Natural History has an exhibit on a "Natural History of Holiday Plants."
• The Maine Historical Society has an exhibit online on "Evergreens and a Jolly Old Elf."
  

In order to enjoy the holiday, you do want to take care of yourself. If you are one of the many who may suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (aka winter blues or SAD), you can learn more about it here. How common is this? According to the site, "Between 4 and 6 percent of the U.S. population suffers from SAD, while 10 to 20 percent may suffer from a more mild form of winter blues."

If you are traveling, you may end up as a someone's house guest. The Frugal Law Student gives you "10 Ways to Be an Excellent House Guest." Me? I prefer to book a cheap hotel room nearby and not impose on anyone, but that may not be an option for everyone.


Want more Christmas ideas? Lifehacker has a nice list of 20+ websites for Christmas. The list includes a favorite of mine, NORAD's Santa Tracker. Once again this year, we will be tracking Santa on Christmas Eve.

As it turns out, I have enough for one more post. In Parte Tres (that's Part Three), we will look at humor and mofos. Because it may be the holiday, but the mofos never rest. So, let's have a laugh or two next time.